When dressing your weekend calendar, try on something spiritually uplifting for a change. The Voices of North Georgia will gladly serenade you into a dancing frenzy with their "Everytime I Feel the Spirit" concert.

"This concert is a great grouping of spiritual arrangements. It will be an inspirational choral performance of the best arrangements of the American Spiritual style - foot-stamping, rousing, celebratory tunes from our past, guaranteed to uplift and inspire," said Bruce Nunley, the artistic director and conductor of Voices of North Georgia.

With songs like "Wade in the Water," "All My Trials," "Elijah Rock" and "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho," there is sure to be something to entice everyone's palate.

"Friday and Sunday's concerts will be filled with very uplifting music," said Melanie Johnson, the president of the Voices of North Georgia board. "These songs will touch on a range of your emotions - some will be more heart-felt, others may make you want to get up and dance and some you may want to sing along with."

Voices of North Georgia, previously known as the Gainesville Chorale, is a 42-year-old choral group designed to bring quality music and performances to the area.

"We have presented many incredible choral compositions over the years, including the Mozart Requiem, the Brahms Requiem, Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, Vivaldi's Gloria, Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass - these are just a few of the selections we've ‘conquered,' said Nunley. "The group sings all styles from Bach to Broadway."

Although they hold a steady membership between 40 and 50 singers, Voices of North Georgia is always looking for more vocalists.

"It's open to anyone who wants to join. All you need to do is be able to read sheet music and perform a short audition of tone memory and sight-reading. We'll be holding auditions again in January for the spring concert season. We could always use more members," Johnson said.

This weekend's show might be themed "American Spiritual," but Voices of North Georgia is not partial to one genre of music; they dabble in them all.

"We have presented compositions from just about any time period or stylistic era, including baroque, classical, romantic, twentieth century, jazz, pop, show tunes, Folk music (both American and from other countries), and music newly composed by living composers of the USA and abroad," Nunley said.

Nunley chose the music for "Everytime I Feel the Spirit" as a metaphor for the "road" we all travel, whether it be a religiously-spiritual one or not.

"At our performance, our audience should expect to laugh and cry; to feel like shouting for joy and to be comforted by the music for any loss they may have experienced," Nunley said. "Spirituals share other people's experiences during times of stress and sadness, but also during times of great happiness and thankfulness."

As a middle school chorus and music teacher and a part-time Director of Music Ministries at Winder First United Methodist Church, Nunley lives and breathes music.

"Music has always been the main theme in my life. I am a person who has been blessed because God gave me the ability to express and to experience the emotions of musical compositions. Not everybody can ‘feel' that way - or that much - through music," said Nunley.

Being around others who share his passionate love for music is a blessing in Nunley's eyes.

"I have the great, wondrous gift of being allowed to direct this chorus during our performances and seeing the same type of joy and rapture I feel myself in the faces of the chorus members. Now, that is truly an incredible sharing experience and makes all the hours of our work together well worth the effort," Nunley said.

Whether you're a chorus member, music fanatic or just looking to have a good time, all are invited to enjoy Voices of North Georgia's "Everytime I Feel the Spirit" this weekend - and if you see something you like, visit www.voicesofnorthgeorgia.com for more information on how to become one of the voices yourself.